The word не is used to form negative statements. You should place it before the word being negated.

Гэ́та не студэ́нт. Гэ́та выкла́дчык. This is not a student. This is a lecturer.

Я не хво́ры. I am not ill.

Не я хво́ры. This is not I who is ill.

Take care that не is pronounced like ня if the next word's first syllable is stressed (and thus не becomes pretonic). In tarashkievitsa, in such cases ня is written instead of не. E.g. the latter two sentences in tarashkievitsa would look like Я ня хворы and Ня я хворы.

With qualitative adjectives, не is often used as a prefix, forming an adjective with an opposite meaning (like the English un prefix).

вялікі big - невялікі not big

прыго́жы beautiful - непрыго́жы not beautiful

зру́чны comfortable, handy - нязру́чны uncomfortable

Take note that being a prefix не may transform to ня if gets into a pretonic position.

To ask a general question, i.e. a question requiring the answer yes or no, in Belarusian, you need to put a question mark (?) at the end of the sentence (in writing) or use interrogative intonation (in oral speech). No special word order is required.

To answer a general question, the words так (yes) or не (no) can be used.

Note the difference between Belarusian так and English yes when answering questions containing negation.

Гэ́та не саро́ка? - Так, гэ́та не саро́ка. Гэ́та варо́на. This is not a magpie, is it? No, it is not. It is a crow.

Thus, saying так means agreeing with what is asked in the question. If the question is negative, the так answer confirms negation.

The не answer can mean both negation and disagreement, and it is ambiguous when answering negative questions (no, you are not right or no, it is not so). So, some extra information is needed in such cases.

Гэ́та не но́вая кніга? - Так, гэ́та не но́вая кніга. or Не, гэ́та не но́вая кніга. Is this book not new? No, it is not new.